Cheapo Topo backup maps from Topo 8

[woodstramp]

With the help of some on this site I'm currently learning the skill of land navigation with map and compass. A good backup plan for your GPS is to have a topo map and compass IMO. Bigfoot might eat your PN.

Now to the cheap part....

A local map store sells professional USGS topo quad maps for like $12 each. That can get expensive. One area I hunt falls in the corner of four quads. You see what I mean.

One thing I'm really liking about Topo 8 is the ability to make and scale topo I might care to use. Even have my own custom WP's, tracks, etc. superimposed over the USGS data.

Problem is, the maps coming out of my plain old home printer are not waterproof. Figured out a way to do this.

First, make sure the printer is set to print greyscale. In my tests and attempts to make water resistant maps the colors still bleach out a bit after exposure to water. The black and white prints do not. (guessing that's the difference between ink and toner???)

Anyway, make a map, print it out. Then take some plain olive oil and slather the map(s) down until it's thoroughly saturated. Then, on a flat surface, sandwich the map between some paper towels. This may take several blottings to get the excess oil out. The map will be a little darker, but quite water resistant and readable. On the 1:50K scaled ones the details are very small, but very readable with a small magnifying glass.

Even with this olive oil in the paper it will still take a pencil mark. I was able to fold several map prints around my map scale tool and put this bundle in a small freezer Ziplock bag. There is also room for a map compass, small notebook, magnifying glass and pencil in with the maps. It makes a thin 5 x 5 packet to stow in the fänny pack. The most expensive part was the $15 map compass.

I tried several kinds of oil, but settled on a non-petroleum base oil for fear that those might affect the plastics in the map packet.

The color maps still do OK, but do goo out a bit.

[mattsteg]

You could also try waterproof inkjet paper (it's been discussed here before, one readily-available product is national geographic adventure paper).

[lee_rimar]

Homemade oiled paper is waterproof, and I can think of several good uses for it. But...

How much time and effort to print & oil a set of greyscale maps that are too small to read without a magnifying glass? To nominally save $48 on a set of higher quality maps that might someday save your life?

Maps are survival gear. Don't skimp on them.

[mattsteg]

To nominally save $48 on a set of higher quality maps that might someday save your life?

Maps are survival gear. Don't skimp on them.

That depends a lot on where you are, how well you know the area, how large the area is, what bounds it, what the terrain is, etc. There are plenty of places that I frequent where I use maps quite a bit, but wouldn't call them "survival" gear and wouldn't hesitate to go there mapless.

[CowboySlim]

Years ago, when we used to plot engineering data on graph paper by hand we would then fix it by spraying with Krylon fixative.

Not PC these days as although it rendered the paper smudgeproof and waterproof, the fixative contained organic solvents.

There may be updated, PC products available nowadays.
I would check an art supply store or ebay.

Sure sounds easier to spray on some stuff as opposed to olive oiling it.

[woodstramp]

You could also try waterproof inkjet paper (it's been discussed here before, one readily-available product is national geographic adventure paper).

Matt,

Someone else suggested that paper. I'd like to try it out. The oil was just a frugal experiment.

[woodstramp]

Homemade oiled paper is waterproof, and I can think of several good uses for it. But...

How much time and effort to print & oil a set of greyscale maps that are too small to read without a magnifying glass? To nominally save $48 on a set of higher quality maps that might someday save your life?

Maps are survival gear. Don't skimp on them.

Lee,

Actually, the 1:25K's I ran can be read without a mag-glass. The 1:50K's do need it, but I guess a standard topo print at that scale would too. The 1:50k's are more for just for broad over view.

The 1:25k's in the standard letter size are basically like you cut up a larger topo. Also, the grayscale is not as bad as you might think. That terrain shading is nice too.

As to skimping on something you may have to use to save your life.... I can see your point. I've heard the same argument for years when it comes to firearms for concealed carry. Some gun owners carry only a large caliber gun, while others feel fine with a pocket .380. A little gun can be used for protection. I think these little oil maps could too.

[woodstramp]

Years ago, when we used to plot engineering data on graph paper by hand we would then fix it by spraying with Krylon fixative.

Not PC these days as although it rendered the paper smudgeproof and waterproof, the fixative contained organic solvents.

There may be updated, PC products available nowadays.
I would check an art supply store or ebay.

Sure sounds easier to spray on some stuff as opposed to olive oiling it.

Cowboy,

Back when I was an "Arteest" we fixed charcoal drawings with hairspray. Never heard of the Krylon stuff. Sounds like it would work.

As to the PC stuff....well, one survival (I'm lost in remote mountains. No one knows where I am and I need to be found before I die!" techniques I pondered was "Make or find a safe place and set the woods on fire". The Forest Service would see that. So much for PC.

As to the oiling. It's is not that bad. A baking tray on the kitchen table with a little oil in the bottom. Lay them on to a nearby towel after the soak. Initial blotting is with toilet paper to get the excess off, then a sandwich press with paper towels to get them drier. I did four in less than 10 minutes. 5 minute mess clean up.

Forgot to mention that I also water tested unoiled grayscale maps. They did not really smudge either. But they do come apart and/or warp badly.

[CowboySlim]

I print my maps out on this:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Resolution- ... B00004Z5R1

It is coated like photo paper, so it make prints higher in quality than regular inkjet paper.
However, it is not nearly as heavy as regular photo paper and hence much cheaper.

I used to use this to prevent smudging and looks water resistant also:
http://www.krylon.com/products/crystal_clear_acrylic/

[TotemLake]

I use the National Geographic paper; both the legal and standard size. This stuff rocks. I printed off a high resolution picture and ran it under a running bath faucette for 20 minutes with minimal smudge directly off of the printer. Give it a few minutes to dry and this is the most durable paper you can depend on for a map. The maps I print are permanent and reusable for the areas I go in.

http://www.rei.com/product/684961

You can still write on it when wet.